Nutcracker: The Banned NYC Cocktail You See All Over Beaches
NEWS
By ELIAS NASH
New York City's fruity and colorful Nutcracker cocktail often has a slushie-like consistency. It has deep ties to the city, particularly its Black and Latino communities.
The vast majority of nutcrackers are sold by unlicensed street vendors. They have been both vilified as a public health threat and hailed as a life-changing source of income.
The cocktail was invented in the mid-1990s at the Chinese-Peruvian fusion restaurant Flor de Mayo, and named after a commercial for the New York ballet they saw on TV.
The original blend featured three kinds of alcohol — amaretto, whiskey, and the notorious Bacardi 151 — and pineapple juice. The cocktail was a hit with the local crowd.
In the late '90s, nutcrackers came to NYC thanks to two Dominican-American vendors. Many nutcracker vendors active in New York's beaches and parks today are from those communities.
The clash between nutcracker vendors and the police began shortly after, who worried that the highly potent drink may be sold to underaged customers, prompting several crackdowns.
